About DISC

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2 - See all our latest jobs vacancies Contents About DISC Criminal Justice Drug and Alcohol Recovery Programmes Children & Young People Families Health Housing and Accommodation Self Directed Support Learning Disabilities - Find out more about DISC

3 - Find out more about DISC About DISC We have a willingness and passion to pioneer new and innovative approaches to tackle disadvantage and social exclusion Established in 1986, DISC continues to work to its original vision, to support those who are the hardest to help to achieve their goals and potential. We understand the challenges commissioners face in achieving a balance between delivering services which meet the needs of the most vulnerable whilst achieving value for money. We work closely in partnership with commissioners, local authorities and a range of other providers to identify need, continually improve and add value to provision, provide long term social impact, develop transferable models of best practice and achieve positive and sustainable outcomes for all of our service users. We have a strong reputation for successfully engaging and supporting those people with whom other agencies have failed, often in part, due to the chaotic nature of their lives and the range of problems they face. Over the next year we will support over 12,000 people to achieve their goals and make positive changes to their lives. Conran aged 15 Conran was referred to our Hidden Harm project after his mother s arrest for neglect. His Mum s Alcohol dependency and the poor state of the family home, meant that for a time he moved in with her maternal grandmother. When Conran first visited the Hidden Harm service, he came across as a very withdrawn, quiet and shy child who was unsure about engaging with the service. Project workers who spoke with Conran found that he had cooked, cleaned, taken charge of family finances and cared for his younger siblings because of his Mum s alcohol dependency. Because of this heavy responsibility, Conran missed out on much of his own education. During the sessions Conran acknowledged the mixed emotions he felt towards his Mum. Anger, frustration and embarrassment were all present, but love and the need to protect his Mum were never far behind. Hidden Harm helped to move Conran into long-term care with his Auntie and Uncle. He says his life now is peaceful and stress free and he can focus on being a kid again. Conran continues to be supported by the Hidden Harm service, helping to build confidence and self-esteem and establish healthy relationships. Criminal Justice Services Drug and Alcohol Support Programmes Children & Young People Families Learning Disabilities Housing and Accommodation Skills Employment and Training Health 3 4

4 - Visit our Partnerships Area Criminal Justice We aim to reduce reoffending by providing structured interventions which address the range of issues which may lead to offending and provide long term sustainable positive outcomes. Our model of assertive outreach involves actively seeking out people who appear to be disengaging to ensure we are able to support them to continue to work towards their goals. We provide a recovery focussed approach with integration into community based services in order to reduce reoffending within a single programme. A number of our current services target substance misusing offenders, including those on integrated offender management, throughcare and aftercare and drug rehabilitation requirement. We have experience of running:- Integrated Offender Management (IOM) Alternative to Custody Community Sentences (DRR) Drug Intervention Programmes Prison Based Rehabilitation The average cost of imprisonment is 600 per person per week Paul From a young age Paul had always been around drugs. When he began working the doors of pubs and clubs, there were strict policies on drugs, but it was not long before they started to relax. Soon Paul was taking cocaine and amphetamines after work. Paul recalls staying out most evenings, not returning home until 6am because he was binging on cocaine and alcohol. Paul s home got raided in April and he was arrested whilst still in bed. The Police found 2.7 grams of cocaine at his house. The shock of being arrested in front of his 3 year old son meant Paul had to face reality: It was the worst thing to ever happen to me, it brought it all to a head and forced me to face my problems. Paul was referred to Sunderland Drugs Intervention Programme, at DISC. Sunderland DIP didn t just help me with my drug problem, it helped me by fixing my life. Drug and Alcohol Recovery Programmes Police forces estimate that up to 70% of all crime is drug or alcohol related. Alcohol is estimated to feature in 62% of incidences of domestic violence For over 15 years DISC have provided support for both young people and adults who are affected by drugs and alcohol, enabling them to turn their lives around and achieve their full potential. The national focus on recovery coupled with our ability to manage multi agency partnerships, which deliver successful whole treatment systems capable of meeting the needs of chaotic substance misusers has ensured successful services in Leeds, Hull, North Lancashire and the North East of England. Our highly regarded reputation for achieving successful outcomes with those who may be considered the hardest to help is based upon our ability to listen to the needs of the people who access our services, their carers Drug misuse can and does have significant detrimental effects on children from the time of conception right through to young adulthood. and those who commission services to shape provision accordingly. We recognise that each journey to recovery is different and support packages must be tailored to meet the needs and goals of the individual. In response to this our range of services include... We offer a viable alternative averaging 166 per week, whilst providing added value such as; family integration, substance misuse, employability and housing support issues which have been proven to affect reoffending rates Adult Community Drug and Alcohol Services accessible to everyone Criminal Justice Drug and Alcohol Services Harm Reduction Services Our Back 2 You Motivational programme to support people to move on from drug support Family Support and Hidden Harm for families experiencing parental substance misuse 5 6

5 - See all our latest News Children & Young People Almost one in eight year-olds in the North East is NEET, compared to fewer than one in fifteen of young people in the same age group living in the South West. It is estimated that 30% of people who care for a disabled child live in poverty. DISC specialise in working with children, young people and families who are most disadvantaged, vulnerable or at risk to help them overcome barriers and achieve their goals. We focus on giving everyone the best start in life through intensive support designed to meet the needs of the individual. By empowering children and young people to have a say in the services they access, we are able to turn pioneering and innovative ideas into best practice at ground level. We are wholly committed to working in partnership with local authorities, providers and commissioners to achieve real outcomes and sustainable social impact. Our current services include... Jane My dad s drinking was making me angry and I didn t know what to do... When my dad drinks a lot he gets very annoyed and shouts and throws things about. Mum gets upset and tells me to ignore him, but when I do that at school I get into trouble. Mum was sick of being called into school because of me and said I had to stop fighting all of the time. Mum took me to see the workers at Safe Voices to help. They asked me to young a young people s club and I learnt a lot of things about why I got angry and fought with people. Other children were like me and we talked about our problems together. The workers also worked with Dad about him drinking too much beer and how he could not drink as much. Dad doesn t get angry when he drinks beer now so mam and dad don t argue as much and he doesn t throw stuff. I feel a lot happier because of this. 66% of North East residents are worried about their children drinking It is estimated that 30% of people who care for a disabled child live in poverty. Families A system that Thinks Family has no wrong contact with any service and gives access to a wider system of support DISC services embrace and promote the Think Family approach and we excel at successfully engaging families who are excluded or find themselves facing complex life challenges. Our long term approach enables families to grow together and strengthen as a unit. We offer integrated and accessible services which offer a dual approach of challenge and support to help families to overcome difficulties including... Skills, Education and Training Achieving successful outcomes with Neets (Not in Employment, Education or Training). Young Carers - Access to support services, advice, mentoring and respite opportunities. Antisocial Behaviour and Youth Justice - Early interventions preventing antisocial behaviour. Independent Living and Housing Support - Access to suitable accommodation with ongoing tenancy support. Parenting Skills - Helping teenage parents deal more effectively with a range of family issues Advocacy - Ensuring children and young people are heard and receive services they are entitled to. Fostering Learning Disabilities - An array of opportunities as part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme. Hidden Harm - a whole family approach to addressing drug and alcohol use in families with children. Abuse, poverty or neglect Parental substance misuse & risk of family breakdown Leaving care or returning to live at home Caring responsibilities Tenancy at risk due to anti social behaviour Poor or no parenting skills

6 - Contact us Learning Disabilities With nearly 15 years experience, DISC continue to deliver successful learning disability services for children, young people and adults, to afford them the opportunity to identify and achieve their potential whilst ensuring they feel equal, valued, listened to and included. Our services are designed to be flexible in order to offer people the opportunity to choose and design their own individual packages of support, enabling them to shape their lives and make informed choices about the services they access. Our wide range of learning disability services include... In the Northeast there are approx 400,000 people with disabilities, the highest rate across the UK We know that 65% of people with learning disabilities want to work, whilst only between 10 and 17% actually have some form of employment. Health As a long term provider of health related services we have considerable experience in developing groupwork programmes which compliment individual therapy and brief interventions. Where appropriate we promote recovery throughout programmes which we deliver using a range of innovative methodologies which ensure we maximise engagement and long term success. We have successfully developed and currently deliver programmes around:- Alcohol and Drug use Teen Pregnancy Emotional Health and Wellbeing Condition Management Peer Education Parenting Skills Advocacy Obesity Smoking Cessation Diabetes In order to broaden our experience and enable us to deliver more comprehensive services, we are developing a number of new and innovative programmes which can be delivered on a stand alone or integrated basis. Our primary areas of development are... Approximately 46% of men and 32% of women in England are overweight and an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are obese, a figure which has doubled since the mid 1980s Katie aged 21 Katie was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 11. She spent the majority of her school life in hospital and having left school at 14 had no qualifications nor ability to manage her finances or health. At 16 Katie moved away from home and would spend her time drinking and smoking with friends. She controlled her diabetes and unhealthy eating habits through her use of insulin. Katie engaged with DISC and within just six months had secured her own tenancy with the support of our Independent Living Services and addressed her diabetes and wellbeing needs through our Health Programmes. Katie has also joined DISC as a volunteer with the aim of increasing her skills and experience and moving towards employment. Thanks to DISC, for the first time in 10 years I understand my diabetes and how to manage it and I actually have somewhere to live that I can call my own Day Services which support people to achieve their goals including access to educational and rehabilitation opportunities Social and Leisure Services which work with volunteers and provide out of hours opportunities, befriending programmes and peer friendship Representational and Self Advocacy supporting people to make informed choices and express their own views and thoughts Respite and holiday opportunities for service users and their carers Vocational training, literacy and numeracy groups and nurturing work placements including our innovative job carving initiative Support for parents and carers including peer support groups Information, Advice and Guidance on individual budgets and service brokerage Programmes to address and reduce obesity Support and psycho-social interventions for people with anxiety, depression and related conditions such as eating disorders Occupational health and condition management services Smoking cessation programmes Sexual health improvement

7 Housing and Accommodation DISC Housing Support Services currently engage with some 2600 people per year across the North of England. Self Directed Support For over 20 years we have provided innovative housing related support services for people who are homeless, sofa surfing or in unsafe, inadequate or inappropriate accommodation. Many of our services are based on floating support which works with people as they move through accommodation options. Our services also engage with people who may have specific barriers to securing accommodation such as; mental health problems, offending, people with drug or alcohol issues and young people who would traditionally find it hard to secure safe accommodation. Our experience includes... Supported Accommodation for people with drug or alcohol issues or those who are in recovery Floating support services in Lancashire, County Durham, Tees Valley and Manchester Kate Through the past 2 years of my life I have had to change. I was made homeless and estranged from my adoptive parents because we fell out over something silly. Alone, with no food, no confidence, no friends, no home, being alive in the world was frightful. Until DISC. DISC was informed of my situation and immediately their involvement with me was the only bit of hope I had left. DISC provided me with my own support worker. She helped me get a house and regularly visited me providing me with furniture and giving me essential food supplies. Without this fantastic person I wouldn t be where I am today, I wouldn t be here. She gave me the confidence to be somebody and start a career as a nursing assistant. Family Intervention Projects for families at risk of eviction due to anti social behaviour Street outreach for people at severe risk, such as sex workers and long term homeless Specialist services to engage hard to reach groups such as Gypsies and Travellers. All DISC housing support services run within the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) where we have consistently achieved scores of B and above DISC s mission is People fulfilling their potential and as such we are fully committed to the development of personalised services. DISC has been involved in the development of self-directed support for a number of years. Our projects for people with Learning Difficulties offer a range of services for those with their own budgets. We also provide advice, support and brokerage to help people develop the package of care which best meets their needs and over recent years we have been working to pilot new models of delivery within housing support and drug recovery services. Giving people choices and greater control over the service they receive is important to us as an organisation. Within the delivery partnerships that we have forged we have been able to give people choice over the provider of services, the pathways that their service will follow and the interventions they can access. Routes to independence and recovery are increasingly tailormade to suit the individual. Commissioners are increasingly opening up services to self direction and we are involved in transitional arrangements designed to move towards people being able to select the service and provider of their choice and, where possible, their own budget to buy these services with. DISC has a unique range of experience of moving services towards self direction that have been and often are still seen to be complex and problematic. We have many years experience of delivering advocacy services to both young people and adults who are seen as the hardest to help and we are committed and enthusiastic to future involvement in the development of self directed services for these groups

8 DISC, Merrington House, Merrington Lane Ind Est, Spennymoor, Co. Durham, DL16 7UT Registered Charity No , Registered Company No